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A life backwards

The British Xylonite Company could justifiably claim to be the first British firm successfully to manufacture a plastic material in commercial quantities. Xylonite, better known by its American equivalent of 'celluloid', was invented by Alexander Parkes and first displayed in 1862 under the name of 'Parkesine'. The original site being small and unsuitable, it was decided in 1887 to buy land at Brantham on the Suffolk bank of the River Stour and erect a purpose-built factory; finished goods continued to be made at Homerton until 1897 when a new factory was built at Hale End near Walthamstow which also housed the head office. Other types of plastics were introduced, and in 1938 the British Xylonite Company became a holding company with three subsidiaries. The Distillers Company took a half-interest in 1939 and bought the entire Group in 1961, but in 1963 it formed part of a new grouping called Bakelite Xylonite Ltd. Several sales and mergers took place in the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of the site was closed in 2007.

Today

Whilst most of the site has been slowly cleared (a building close to the railway was demolished late July according to some local lads), some buildings remain in use situated mainly towards the northern part of the site. The area is split between three firms; AOC (distribution), Procomm Site Services (portacabin specialists) and ITW Imagedata (card, ribbon and general plastics). Through the narrow tunnel under the railway, the carnage remains, with fewer buildings here now from my trip of four years ago. Who needs complex and costly site clearance, when the locals can do it all for nothing?

Having enjoyed my wander around here a few weeks ago, i returned in the fine company of my better camera and also some random moochers i bumped into at Manningtree Railway Station in the form of The Lone Shadow and Unplugged .

1. 'E Block' (Coating).

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9. The plant closed around 2007, judging by the copious amount of porn and other literature.

10. Oh dear, a lifetime of ridicule.

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12. A train would have been nice, we waited...

13. It's fodder time, and things are going to get messy over a tin of soup.

14. Some liquid tar.

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16. Pipework action. The building in the background is 'D Block' (Conversion). Also disused, there was little to point a camera at.

17. 'B and C Block' Evidently still in use. The Export Store to the side of this building is disused and has been freshly boarded and well secured.

Industrial Fanatic!

Very good mooch this! Love how you got some of that machinery in the darkened places! It was difficult to capture, but you pulled it off well! The chicken soup sure was tasty for a 1996 use by date. Good job we signed in and out of that regiater, just incase there was a fire drill!

The Lone Shadow

Age is not decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within that withers and bursts the husk.

A life backwards

Very good mooch this! Love how you got some of that machinery in the darkened places! It was difficult to capture, but you pulled it off well! The chicken soup sure was tasty for a 1996 use by date. Good job we signed in and out of that regiater, just incase there was a fire drill!